Sunday, February 23, 2014

Weidmann's - Meridian

Just the other day, I received a notification that a comment
had been posted to my last blog entry. Guessing that I had either been stripped
of gainful employment or resigned myself to a diet, Mr. Anonymous wished me
well. This isn’t the first time the inactivity of my blog has been questioned,
but it did make me realize that it’s been an obscenely long time since my last
post.Does this mean the end of this
little hobby of mine? Although five years is an exceedingly long life span for
a food blog, I sincerely doubt that I’ll call it quits anytime soon. I can’t
promise that I’ll return to the 200 posts in a year halcyon days of 2009, but blog posts will be forthcoming starting
with a little detour to Weidmann’s in Meridian.

This story, like so many others, begins with a trip on I-20
East towards Atlanta. However, instead of the usual mulling over Tuscaloosa or
Birmingham spots, an extra bit of last minute work at the office left me
hitting the city limits of Meridian a few minutes after one and just in time
for lunch. Rarely stopping for anything more than a bit of gas and a pit stop,
I decided that this time was a good as any to stop into Weidmann’s.

“I wish it was crunchy”, that was the first thought that
entered my mind when I looked at the rather charming if a bit kitsch crock of
peanut butter at the center of my table at Weidmann’s.

Handmade by a local artist and bearing all of Weidmann’s relevant
details, the crock contained a plastic cup of smooth and slightly salty peanut
butter.

A tradition that began with a butter shortage during the Second World War has
become a Weidmann’s trademark and even with the lack of crunch, it’s a tradition
I can support.

After starting with the peanut butter, it was on to another
Weidmann’s tradition, the fried green tomatoes.

Despite looking a bit oily, these tomatoes were nicely
breaded and were about as crispy as fried green tomatoes could be.

With a firm texture, these March tomatoes weren’t too tart,
just enough to keep things interesting.

The comeback dressing was a different story; sweet and
creamy as expected, this condiment was crying out for a touch chili powder or
black pepper to combat the sweetness. When combined with the tomatoes, I
quickly realized that the unripe tomatoes had no need for the comeback; they
were sweet enough on their own.

Hoping to get a taste for the Weidmann’s menu, I also
ordered a cup of their house seafood, chicken, and sausage gumbo.
Unfortunately, the gumbo arrived at the same time as the tomatoes. Aside from
being an annoyance, the time the gumbo spent lingering may help explain its
thickness.

True to its name, there were chunks of sausage, nicely briny
shrimp, large pieces of okra, but, strangely, very little chicken.

Also absent was much of a roux flavor.Tasting more of an okra stew than the
Louisiana gumbos I’ve come to know and love, this gumbo, while full of
ingredients, was decent but lacking any real depth.

Before I had a chance to finish my gumbo, my catfish entrée
arrived at my table. Pushing aside the bowl, I was curious to see Weidmann’s
version of crabmeat Belvedere.

Served with a side of butter beans and creole cabbage, this
plate had a homey quality that may not win awards for aesthetics, but it
certainly looked like a filling lunch.

Starting with sides, the butter beans were big, creamy, and
incredibly pale. Oddly colored they may have been, they would be a fine
addition to any meat and three.

The creole cabbage is something that needs to be on more
menus. Tomato braised and with a definite chili pepper tail, their magic really
came through when combined with the butter beans. Just those two made me wish I
had ordered a vegetable plate.

That’s enough gushing over vegetables; the point of the
plate was the catfish and its crabmeat Belvedere.

Crispy on the edges, juicy, and delightfully flakey, this was a well-grilled
filet of Mississippi catfish.

Regarding the toppings, it seemed the addition of both a light cream gravy and crabmeat
Belvedere was too much for even this sturdy piece of catfish to handle.

Visiting a restaurant with as much as history as Weidmann’s
arms me with a certain amount of hesitation. Will a place that claims to be
Mississippi’s oldest restaurant still exist because of pure nostalgia from an
aging clientele? Is the kitchen running on a reputation earned decades prior
and has since been stripped of any meaning? I can say that Weidmann’s did not
reinforce my suspicions even though things were a bit of a mixed bag. The
timing issues I can somewhat attribute to the busy lunch hour although that’s a
piss poor excuse. While the gumbo and comeback left me wanting, there were some
things that set a hook that made me want to come back namely the well grilled fish
and the superb vegetables. With an exceptionally large lunch menu that warrants
further exploring, there may be an order of Weidmann’s shrimp and grits in my
future travels or at the very least some peanut butter and crackers.

Next time try the fried green tomatoes with the 1870's sauce. I always get the vegetable plate there at lunch and always have to have the creole cabbage. At dinner you have to try the potatoes au gratin. I'm suddenly craving it. I usually eat fish for dinner there but have never tried the catfish. I will be sure to change that at my next dinner at Weidmanns.